


All For the Game 4 (working title)

by 2_many_fandoms_2_little_time



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Andrew's a little shit, Canon Compliant, Don't you worry, Eating Disorders, F/M, Fluff, GAY GAY GAY, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Neil is too, Past Sexual Assault, Post-Canon, Post-Series, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt, Sweet, as if the series didn't end in book 3, heartwarming gay that makes me cry, if she's written stuff about aftg that isn't included here let me know, oh but there will be pain too, smut to the point like the books, there's a new fox and she's just as messed up as the rest of them, trying to write like nora sakavic wrote this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-03 17:32:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13346091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2_many_fandoms_2_little_time/pseuds/2_many_fandoms_2_little_time
Summary: Starts off about two months after the end of book 3. The Foxes are preparing for another season and six new players. They think that the weight on their shoulders from the previous year has lifted and they no longer have to worry about anything. Little do they know that this year will be almost as much of a struggle as the last one, but not necessarily from the same sources.Rated at mature because this work will only go to the extent that the series did. May contain talk of triggering things that have happened to the characters previously. Anything else major (characters, triggering material) that happens later on will be added in the appropriate places.Contains heartwarming gay.





	1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

  
Andrew’s kisses were like fire and every one burned Neil’s lips harsher than the bottle of whiskey they’d both downed after practice and he followed every single one of them as if they were his last breath of air. Finally, agonizingly, they broke apart. Both of them were gasping, the need for actual air at last outlasting their desperate need for each other.

  
Andrew and Neil sat side by side on the carpet of the room they shared with Kevin. The rest of the team were exploiting Allison’s July birthday by drinking as much alcohol as possible while still expected to be able to play reasonably well the next morning. Kevin wouldn’t take any excuses. At a different time, Andrew would have been down there with them, drinking himself just to the limit of drunkenness and not beyond, done trying to convince Neil to have a shot. However, these were different times and Andrew and Neil snuck upstairs after drinking enough whiskey to satisfy their teammates and that by the time they were done, most of the Foxes were sufficiently hammered. Having caught their breath, Andrew rolled over Neil who reached up to entwine his fingers in the hair at the base of Andrew’s neck, still damp from showering after practice. Andrew began kissing Neil like he was just learning the feel of Neil’s mouth and Neil relaxed into it. They continued like this for a short while and the hand Andrew wasn’t cupping Neil’s face with was starting to go lower when there was a twist of the locked door knob followed by a knock on the door. Both of them froze, hands still on bodies and lips still on lips. Andrew gave a low growl as he removed his lips from Neil’s and reached for one of the sets of black armbands that was lying a foot or so from Neil’s head. He extracted a knife from them and tactfully hid it behind his back, pulling on his armbands before he went to answer the door. He was not pleased to see the person on the other side.

  
Nicky stood uncertainly on the doorstep, a look that was exacerbated when he saw that it was Andrew who answered the door. Nicky hesitantly peered into the room. Neil had moved into a sitting position that could possibly indicate that he and Andrew were watching TV. None of the three men were at all convinced of that. Andrew, it seems, did not appreciate Nicky’s peering anymore than he appreciated the interruption. He pulled out the knife from behind him and started twirling it in his fingers expertly.

  
“What do you want?” asked Andrew. Nicky’s eyes lingered on the knife and he took a step back, raising his hands in a gesture of non defiance.

  
“Hey, Kevin just sent me up here to see if there was more alcohol,” Nicky said, “I just drove him back from Becky’s and the rest of the lot drank most of it.” He looked to Neil, hoping for an intervention. Neil was expecting this when Andrew answered the door and he did nothing to stop it. Nicky shouldn’t have interrupted them and if he was clever enough, he would leave quickly.

  
“If Kevin wasn’t willing enough to come and get it, you should have been smart enough not to go for him,” Andrew said, still flipping the thin knife around as if it was a yo-yo, not a sharp object he had threatened all of the Foxes with on at least one occasion. “Kevin, at least, knows we don’t want to be disturbed.” Nicky got the idea fairly quickly.

  
“Okay, I’m leaving, sans alcohol,” he said, making swiftly for the stairs that would lead him to the basement. Andrew shut the door and locked it before returning his knife to its armband and sitting next to Neil. Hands cupped faces and they started fervently kissing again. It wasn’t long until Neil was once again on the carpeted floor with Andrew over him. Neil’s hands drifted from his chest to his shoulders to their familiar position on the back of his neck. Andrew broke away and grabbed one of Neil’s hands from behind his neck and he slowly and nervously slid it down the front of his chest and stomach until it finally rested at the hem of his shirt. Andrew’s face was no longer calm and Neil could feel that his breathing was uneven as he guided Neil’s hand under his shirt. Andrew’s body gave a slight tremor as Neil’s hand, covered with Andrew’s, stopped on his stomach.

  
“You sure?” Neil asked, feeling every shake and tremor Andrew’s body betrayed.

  
“Don’t ask me if I’m sure,” Andrew said between his teeth, “you should be the one to be sure.” He removed his hand from Neil’s and grabbed Neil’s other hand but instead of repeating the motions with this one, he held onto it. “Take it off,” he said, almost against his own will, “take off my shirt. And don’t ask me if I’m sure.” Neil sat up, Andrew moved to the side, and did as Andrew said and slowly pulled Andrew’s shirt up and over his head and arms. Neil elevated his arms, wincing only slightly, so Andrew could do the same to him. Unlike Neil, Andrew was familiar with the other party in this not-relationship-relationship shirtless. He briefly ran his fingers over the scars adorning Neil’s front before pushing him sharply in the chest. Neil lay down on his back and Andrew positioned himself over Neil, this time his breathing a little heavy. Neil reached up and cupped Andrew’s face in one of his hands and pulled him down for a kiss. He knew that this is a big step for Andrew, who had never let anyone, nevertheless Neil, touch him anywhere. But, somehow, Neil was different. It started with putting Neil’s hands on his face and neck and then on his chest, and finally, on his shirtless stomach. Neil wanted to make this as easy for him as possible, but, knowing Andrew, that was not a task effortlessly achieved. If he suspected Neil was babying him at all, this makeout session would transform into something that will leave visible bruises that would doubtless be observed by very bewildered Foxes the next morning. He therefore let Andrew take control, both men kissing like they were starved for air, and it continued for a few more seconds before Andrew’s hand moved from Neil’s face down the bumpy ridges of scars on his shoulders, then chest, then stomach, and then even lower.

-

  
By the time Kevin got back, Andrew and Neil were both in bed. Andrew finally gave up on the inevitable sometime in June and had been sleeping on Neil’s lower bunk ever since. Kevin swore that if they got up to anything while he had so much of a toe in the room, he’d kick them out. Andrew responded by reintroducing Kevin’s back with the wall and Kevin hadn’t brought it up since. Neil decided, rather unwisely, to take the opportunity of suggesting he and Andrew get a place of their own. Andrew snappishly said it was stupid not to take advantage of the campus resources and stalked off. Further attempts to suggest the same thing were not met any more positively and Neil had stopped bringing it up.

  
Kevin entered the room rather steadily for the amount of alcohol that usually stocked Wymack’s cabinet and remarked upon Andrew and Neil being in the same bed.  
“Are you two cuddling?” he asked, “I would have expected that more from Dan and Matt.” Sober, he was usually smart enough not to make such a comment but it seemed the amount of drinking he did was just enough to make an excuse this time. Andrew did not make such exceptions. His fingers inched towards the armbands he was currently wearing as he sent a sour look Kevin’s way. Kevin got the hint but still sent a half-sneer half-smile in Neil’s direction before climbing into his bunk above Andrew and Neil. Cramped but comfortable, Neil drifted off with Andrew’s back pressed against his.

  
-

  
Kevin was in an unforgiving mood the next morning. Several of the upperclassmen and Nicky had hangovers and Allison, who usually wore a full face of makeup and several hundred dollars in clothes, looked slightly disheveled and had put aside the four or five inch stilettos to wear something she could walk straight while hungover in. The other upperclassmen made no comment on her appearance but Nicky remarked on how she, unfortunately, no longer qualified for the runway. Allison responded by lazily raising her middle finger and telling him she’d beat him out on the field anyway. Neil had just finished lacing his shoes with scarred fingers when Dan, who was not drunk, came to the sidelines to yell at them for not already being on the feet like the rest of the team. Neil glimpsed Allison and Nicky’s winces before tearing out onto the track after Andrew, who had just passed Neil, effectively completing a loop. Renee, who had been slightly ahead of them, slowed down to chat with Andrew and Neil. Neil was curious as to what odd topic it would be this time. It turned out to be what supernatural being each of them would be. Neil spent the rest of the laps debating with the two of them.

  
“I’m definitely a vampire,” he had said.

  
“Figures,” Andrew had said, “you belong in _Twilight_.” Renee had given a slight chuckle and Neil bopped Andrew on the back of the head.

  
“Shut up,” Neil had said.

  
“Like you’d try,” Andrew had replied. Neil had wanted to remind him that he had tried and succeed more times than he could count on both hands and would happily list them for Andrew but Renee had been there and he had been sure she did not want to hear the details of Neil and Andrew’s sex life. Had he done so, he would have deserved a bop on the head from Andrew.

  
After the completion of laps, Dan put them to gruelling sets of exercises, ones usually reserved by Wymack for members of the team who had stepped out of line once too often. Neil remembered doing several after his many press debacles the previous school year. After the exercises, the Foxes stretched for a few minutes and put on protective gear and helmets before Kevin took over and broke them into teams. Unfairly, he pitted everyone who was hungover from the previous night’s festivities (Allison, Matt, and Nicky) against those who weren’t. He also threw in Neil and Renee with that team, saying that Neil still needed to learn how to play well with his two-month old major injuries. Andrew did not respond well to Kevin singling Neil out and reached for the black armbands always wore. Andrew, while he’d always been protective of Kevin, had been rather responsive of late to anything involving Neil, anyone else, and Neil’s extensive injuries. This seemed to apply especially to Kevin, whose bruises around the throat as a consequence of Andrew, had only finished healing a couple weeks previously.

  
“If Neil’s going to gain back what he lost due to his injuries, he’s going to have to learn how to play with them, not fight against them,” Kevin said before Andrew could pull one of his knives out of its sheath, “he was still not at his top form when we beat the Ravens and if we expect to beat them again, Neil has to learn the hard way to work with what happened to him, not constantly pushing his limits. He’ll only get himself injured again.”

  
Andrew seemed to hear the sense in Kevin’s words and let it go, walking towards the goal on the other side of the court. Both groups of Foxes moved to take their positions and Allison served the ball.

To say practice went okay would have been such a grossly exaggerated assessment that it would have been closer to a lie than the truth. Neil’s team, half of them tired and hungover, did not perform well.

  
“Do you think you can just relax, get drunk, and then arrive at practice and play at a subpar level?” Kevin yelled halfway across the court, too angry to get any closer. “May I remind you that while we did win championships last year, the newest Moriyama in charge of the Ravens isn’t going to be eager to let us win again. Not to mention that Coach is currently traveling around to six different cities trying to get players who are even less worth my time than Neil was to sign. Training them to even make a goal is going to be enough of a challenge without having to remind the rest of you how to play Exy!” Finished with the senior upperclassmen and Nicky, Kevin turned to Neil.

  
“You are still not learning how to work with your injuries!” Kevin shouted from the midline, “those are serious scars you’re developing and it’s going to affect how you play. Stop pretending they’re going to go away and pick up your racket and deal with them!” Used to Kevin berating him like this and much worse, Neil nodded in acknowledgement, if only slightly ticked off. He looked to Andrew to see if the chewing out had attracted his attention after the move he’d made on Kevin earlier, but Andrew looked too bored with the proceedings to be bothered. Kevin briefly went after Renee, saying he expected her to become close to Andrew’s ability by the end of the summer. The comment seemed more insult than advice but Renee took it in her stride. Kevin then turned his back on them and yelled out brief criticisms to his own team before instructing the lot of them to run laps before hitting the locker rooms. If every day was going to be like this, as Neil thought it might, Kevin was going to lose his voice by the time Wymack returned.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

 

The next week of practices were met by warm weather and an unrelenting Kevin, who seemed to have gained the blessing of Dan. Normally, Dan would have reminded Kevin who exactly the captain was if taken control of the Foxes like this but she, like the rest of the team, had grudgingly accepted that they needed this. Kevin was right, they had to be on their A-game this season and with six new recruits, who might even be worse than Neil was when he first joined the team, Kevin and the others would have no time to clean up their messes and correct moves that could have gone sloppy over the one month break Wymack had given them after their championship win.

Practice lasted from 8am to noon every day and so many of the Foxes turned up to practice on their own in the afternoon that Kevin turned it into an official practice until Wymack came back. By the time their last Kevin-directed practice came to an end, every member of the team had made progress and could proceed to work on their own without the motivation of Kevin’s twice-daily harsh criticisms following them as they walked off the court at the end of practice. The team then proceeded to throw another booze-driven party, this time celebrating the end of Kevin’s reign as coach, although they neglected to inform him of this minor detail. Neil and Andrew mysteriously disappeared into their and Kevin’s room and did not reappear until sometime later. When they did, the rest of the definitely drunk team did not waste time firing slurred questions at the pair of them. Andrew somehow made several bottle caps seem threatening and dangerous and the drunken team had enough sense about them that they stopped trying to niggle questions out of the two. So far, neither Andrew or Neil had given any of the team the details they wanted about what Andrew refused to acknowledge as a relationship. Instead, the two joined the rest of the Foxes in drinking and the team did not go to bed until well past midnight.

-

Wymack returned early the next morning but did not proceed to wake the Foxes until shortly after ten. All of them, tired, and some of them, hungover, thought it a rather rude awakening. He summoned all of them to his office to talk about ‘preparations for the new season’ which Neil thought was a not-so good attempt at covering up that something was up. When the entire team finally made it to the office, Wymack slouched into the room. Andrew and the majority of his lot were not pleased to see that one of the new recruits, small, but a couple inches taller than Andrew, was with him. The senior upperclassmen, while surprised, gave the recruit a warm, inviting smiles which she nervously returned. The girl sat down in the chair furthest away from the Foxes, alternating between shy glances at them and the floor. She was thin with light brown hair and dark brown eyes and she had sparkly, orange eyeshadow and black eyeliner covering her eyes. Allison was already leaning forward and Neil could imagine she would have a field day with this girl. Neither Dan or Renee wore much makeup and both had adamantly refused the offer of a complete makeover many times.

“Everyone,” Wymack said as if all of the Foxes weren’t already gathered in his office looking at him, “this is Andromeda Troi. She started playing Exy when she was little but hadn’t played professionally until lately. She’s joining us from California where she went to school at USC until recently.”

“That’s a fancy way of saying I got kicked out,” Andromeda said, looking up from the floor, “or I guess the appropriate term would be ‘forced withdrawal.’”

“Yes, well, I can assure you that you are not alone in that aspect here,” said Wymack, “anyways, Andromeda -”

“Annie,” corrected the girl, “my friends call me Annie. Andromeda was my mother’s choice. It isn’t me.”

“Someone has friends,” Andrew said, mockingly.

“I did,” Annie said.

“Androm- Annie, is joining us a couple weeks early due to her parents’ request,” continued Wymack, “it’ll give her a little bit of a headstart on the other recruits.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Kevin said, “I _still_ don’t see why she’s going to be allowed on our court.”

“I picked her because I believe she has potential and Coach approved her,” Neil responded nonchalantly. Kevin snorted in disbelief. Wymack fixed Kevin with a glare.

“Now that you all have decided who and who not should be on _my_ team,” said Wymack, irritatedly, “can we please get back to business?” After a few grumblings from the team, they quieted. It was clear that Kevin was not done with this argument but he kept his mouth shut for the time being.

“Annie will begin training as a striker tomorrow morning,” Wymack proceeded, “drills will continue as usual and I expect you two-” he pointed at Neil and a disgruntled Kevin “-to help her out. She should be able to score at least one goal against Andrew by the end of these two week or I’ll tripple the number of sets you do before practices for you both.” Kevin looked even angrier than before and Neil nodded to show Wymack they understood.

“Now,” Wymack said, “get out of my office. I don’t want to see you. Dan, show Annie to her new room.” The Foxes cleared out and Dan led Annie into her room. Neil followed them, leaning on the door frame.

“So this is going to be your room for the next two weeks,” Dan said, “after that, I’m afraid we’re going to have to figure something out. You’re the only girl recruit this year, I’m afraid. I hounded after Coach, but I’m afraid none of the other girls made the cut.” Annie looked around at the room apprehensively. “You might end up having your own room in two weeks, but until then, we only have access to three dorms. The school let us move in early on account of us winning the Championship but it’s easier for you to squat with us for two weeks than open up another dorm. The beds and other basic furniture haven’t been moved in yet.” Annie walked through the bedroom part of the suite into the living room and kitchen part. A couch with a few blankets and a pillow sat on one end of it. “I hope you’re okay with the couch. We don’t have an extra bed.” Annie nodded. “Okay,” said Dan, “I’ll let you get settled.” Dan left the room and passed Neil on her way out. Neil walked into the living room, watching Annie smooth over the blankets and pillow.

“Do you have any luggage?” he asked. Annie nods.

“Yeah,” she said, “it’s in Wymack’s car. He said to leave it until I’d met all of you.” Neil nods.

“You’ll unpack later,” he said, “Kevin, Andrew, and I are driving over to the court for practice. Be there in five.” Neil left the room to find Andrew smoking a cigarette by the car.

“I don’t like her,” he said, flicking a bit of ash off the end of the cigarette dangling between his fingers, “she smells of secrets.”

“So did I when I first came here,” said Neil, taking the cigarette from Andrew and taking a draw, “you ended up liking me alright.” Andrew sent a side glance Neil’s way but didn’t contradict the statement.

“I want to take her to Columbia,” Andrew said.

“I think you’ll have a hard time convincing Nicky to slip drugs into her mouth via tongue this time around,” Neil replied, handing the smoking cigarette back to Andrew.

“You forget,” Andrew said, “I have knives.”

“And are you going to use them to make him do that to every new recruit we have?” Neil asked, “I doubt Wymack will approve Columbia for Annie, and especially not for each of the other five.”

“Who says he has to know,” Andrew said, taking a drag from the cigarette dangling between his lips.

“It’s not going to work on all of them,” Neil said discuragingly. He understood why Andrew did this to him yesterday and even more why he’d do it this year, but he could only imagine the disasterous effects Columbia could have on the recruits if something got out of hand.

“I’ll make it work,” said Andrew, snubbing out the cigarette with his shoe as Kevin walked up to them and moved as if to open the passenger door of the car. “You’re sitting in the back,” Andrew said.

“I am _not_ sitting in the back with _her_ ,” Kevin said, standing stock still, hand on the door handle. However, with a dangerous look from Andrew, he sulkily got into the back. Annie arrived a minute later, her long, brown hair tied up in a high ponytail.

She stood awkwardly a few feet from the car for a few seconds before Andrew said, “back,” and got into the car himself. Annie stepped hesitantly into the back of the car and buckled in, only a few feet away from a silently seething Kevin. The car pulled out of the parking lot and Andrew, unusually talkative, started quizzing Annie. Neil thought he had at least listened partially when Neil had said drugging all the new recruits to get answers was not a feasible solution.

“Andromeda,” Andrew drawled, “where are you from?”

“I lived in California for a year, but I’m originally from Michigan,” said Annie, “and it’s Annie.”

“I don’t like the cards I’ve been dealt but I have to deal with them,” Andrew critisized, “you’re name is Andromeda. Suck it up.” Neil saw Annie made breif eye contact with Andrew. She held it for a longer time than Neil thought she would before she looked away. “Why are you here?” Andrew said, continuing his interrogation.

“Because my parents went behind my back and forced me to sign,” said Annie.

“No, why are you _here_ ,” Andrew asked again, “why did your parents send you here instead of another team. Every Fox on this team has a list of problems that sent them here. Aside from your expulsion, your life was perfect. Perfect grades, perfect social life, perfect life. Why are you here.”

“Did you go through my chart?” Annie asked, incredulous. Andrew waved his hand in dismissal.

“Not all of it,” he said, “there are parts of it Wymack has hidden from me. What are they.”

“That’s my business,” Annie said, shutting down.

“That was true before you set foot on this campus,” said Andrew, “if you’re on my team, it becomes my business to know what you’re hiding.”

“Andrew,” Neil said. Andrew turned his head sharply in Neil’s direction.

“No,” said Andrew, and he turned his gaze back to the road, switching lanes without as much as a glance at the other cars. Wheels of other cars screeched and their horns honked. Annie was pinned to her seat, earning a self-indulgent snicker from Kevin at her frightened posture.

“Andromeda,” Andrew said again, seeming not to have noticed Annie freaking out in the back seat, “I’m going to ask again: why are you here.” Annie peeled herself from the backseat and stared defiantly into the rearview mirror.

“That’s not your business,” she said.

“Wrong answer,” Andrew said with a glimmer in his eyes. Neil had to admire Annie for standing up to Andrew but he knew it would only end disastrously for her. Annie seemed to have gotten the idea that she had inadvisably crossed a line and bolted out of the backseat before Andrew had undone his seatbelt. Kevin snickered and they caught up with her at the gate. Neil punched in the code and Andrew attempted to tower over Annie with his five-foot frame, even though she easily had two inches on him. Height-wise notwithstanding, it seemed to work. Annie cowered while violently glaring at Andrew. Whatever it was that she was hiding, Neil thought, she was about as likely to give it up as Neil had been with his secrets last fall. The gate slid open and Annie raced down the hall, realized she had no idea where she was going, and promptly stopped. This earned another snicker from Kevin and Neil ushered her down the hall to Abby’s room while Andrew followed, shooting daggers into Annie’s back with his eyes. Neil could tell that Andrew badly wanted to knock the breath out of Annie and the only reason he was waiting was because Friday night was a little over four days away. Abby opened the door after Neil’s first knock.

“Hello,” Abby said, looking from Neil’s nonchalant stature to Andrew’s threatening one to the small girl standing a short distance from Neil’s side, “you must be Andromeda Troi.” Annie nodded, not bothering to correct Abby, not doubt due to the fact that she was only separated from Andrew by Neil. “This will only take ten or so minutes.” She ushered Annie inside her room and closed the door. Andrew and Neil walked down the hallway to find Kevin, who was probably annoyed that both of them weren’t already in the gym.

“She’s dangerous,” Andrew remarked.

“How,” said Neil, “the business with the Moriyamas was settled with Ichariou in May. What secret could Annie possibly have that is that threatening?”

“I don’t know,” said Andrew, “I won’t until I know them. All secrets are dangerous until they are no longer secrets anymore.” Neil didn’t reply and followed Andrew into the gym.

-

After putting Annie through an intense workout considering how little they’d be doing on court, all of them headed to their respective changing rooms to switch out workout clothes for uniforms and gear. Annie met them on the court, the selection of gear Wymack had pulled from their stores fitting her perfectly. Kevin then proceeded to fire off a couple impossible goals off the wall and instructed Annie to do the same. Annie stood and blinked at Kevin for a few seconds in disbelief before grabbing a ball from the bucket and trying to imitate what Kevin had done. No surprise to everyone, she missed by a long shot. Not wasting a second, she grabbed another ball and fired off again. This time, the ball bounced a lot closer to the goal. Kevin stepped back, seeming to realize that she did not need his constant stream of insults to motivate her. He started them anyways but Annie did not seem to hear them. She was a quick learner. She fired shot after shot until her goals were landing within inches of the spot Kevin had hit. She looked to him.

“Keep going until it’s perfect,” he said and she picked up another ball.

-

It was around two in the afternoon when Kevin finally let them quit. After making Annie hit shot after shot into an empty goal until she missed very few, Kevin brought Andrew into the game. There was no mercy. Andrew blocked, intercepted, and anticipated every shot she made. Annie didn’t score a single goal or even get close to making one. Andrew batted every ball away with a lazy swing of his racket and watched with curiosity as it made Annie more and more frustrated until her moves became sloppier and Kevin yelled at her to keep it together or they’d be here until dinner. She straightened up her form and tried again. An hour later Kevin dismissed her to the showers, loudly hoping to the other two boys that she’d improve overnight. Neil could tell by the tense way she walked off the court that she was angry but by the time they had all cleaned up and were climbing into the car, her face betrayed only a peaceful calm interrupted by wary glances at Andrew who made no attempt to quiz Annie about her past. This answered the question that really hadn’t been a question in Neil’s mind; Annie was going to Columbia.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

The end of the week came faster than Neil expected. Annie, to the relief of Kevin and Neil, managed to score a goal against Andrew an hour and a half into the last practice of the week. She had also, like Neil a year previously, figured out that Kevin practiced on the court at night. The early morning after her first session with Kevin, Neil, and Andrew, she arrived at the court to get in some extra practice before facing the three the next day. To her half-dismay and half-relief, Kevin and Neil were both practicing and took it upon themselves to help her out. Kevin and Neil, of course, had wildly different ideas on what the phrase ‘helping out’ meant. 

“Have you ever played Exy?” Kevin had shouted at Annie in apparent disbelief as she’d tackled a new strategy Kevin had showed her and failed miserably, “do you even understand how to use a racket?” Neil’s tactic was more traditional, encouragement followed by criticism intended to improve Annie’s technique. By the time her last practice of the week came around, Annie had endured plenty of both approaches and Neil could tell she was very ready to be rid of Andrew and Kevin. Unfortunately, Neil knew she would not get her wish. 

Friday evening brought Neil riding shotgun in Andrew’s car with Andrew predictably at the wheel. Annie was in the back, squished between Aaron and Kevin. Annie took Nicky’s place in the car seeing as there were only five seats. Aaron was the only person in the Maserati, besides Neil who hadn’t yet formed a solid opinion, who didn’t outright hate Annie for one reason or another. Apart from her pretty dismal performances in team practices, Aaron had not been around Annie enough to hate her. Judging by her dreadful trend of getting most everyone who spent time with her to outright despise her, it wouldn’t take long. Neil hoped she wouldn’t create yet another divide in the team who had just been starting to come together as a family before she arrived.

\- 

The drive to Columbia, while already not that long in length, was made even shorter by Andrew’s questionable driving skills. Annie spent the majority of the time tense between Kevin and Aaron. Kevin eyed her with amusement and Aaron glanced at her but made no comment. 

Andrew dropped the lot of them in front of Sweetie’s and drove off to park the car. Annie followed them tentatively into the restaurant, visibly relaxed now that Andrew was gone. Her calm didn’t last long as Andrew soon appeared behind her and she stiffened, looking like she’d rather run out the door than take another step. How exactly Andrew had convinced her to come, Neil would never know, but he was sure it involved sharp objects and thinly veiled threats. 

The cracker dust was quietly passed around after they were seated and, predictably, Annie refused with wide eyes. Andrew sent an intense glare her way that Annie did not see as she was too busy trying to look inconspicuous. Aaron and Kevin indulged while Neil and Andrew, sticking to his promise, sat it out. 

After a short meal, the group embarked on the short walk to Eden’s Twilight. Andrew slipped Annie her fake ID that proclaimed her at 21 and native to the state of South Carolina. Twenty-one was a stretch for her youthful looks, even though she was entering her sophomore year and could only be two or three years younger. The bouncer took his time with the ID, looking between staring at the plastic card and her face. Finally, he shrugged and waved the rest of them on through without checking their IDs. Andrew’s lot were a common occurance at the nightclub. Roland served them their usual tray of drinks and tried to serve Annie some alcohol. She declined, passing it on to Neil. 

“You don’t drink?” Roland asked her. She shook her head. Roland finished mixing the last of the group’s drinks and set it on the tray. “Neil was like that last year,” he said, “his resolve has considerably softened. Are you sure you don’t want to try one?”

“No thanks,” said Annie, “I make it point not to drink among strangers.” Aaron snorted into his drink and managed to turn it into a huge coughing fit by the time Andrew looked his way. Neil, concealing a smile, picked up Annie’s neglected shot. He was about to drink it when Andrew met his gaze and stared him down. Neil set the shot back on the bar. How Andrew had managed to slip drugs into the drink so quickly, Neil couldn’t imagine. Before he could do more than fix Andrew with a questioning look, Andrew had grabbed the tray of drinks from Roland and walked away to find a table. 

“How is it with Andrew?” Roland asked Neil, pouring some pink substance into his cocktail mixer along with a large dose of vodka and shaking it, “still need the handcuffs?” Annie’s head moved faster than Andrew into traffic and she fastened Neil with a confused and slightly alarmed look. Neil grimaced and fidgeted with the napkin in front of him. Roland, noting Annie’s gaze, tried to backtrack.

“Sorry,” he said, “I thought you and Andrew were public knowledge.” Neil sharply shook his head, realized that Annie did not look at all placitated, and proceeded to explain.

“Andrew has boundary issues,” said Neil.

“Okay…?” Annie said, clearly even more confused and looking for a thorough explanation. Neil did not offer one and left the bar to sit next to Andrew. 

“What’s your Plan B?” Neil asked Andrew, taking a drink from one of the untouched drinks at the table. Andrew sipped his alcohol in silence for a few seconds, watching Annie talking to Roland. She looked unsatisfied, probably pressing Roland for answers about Andrew and Neil. It did not seem she was succeeding.

“I’ll see if I need it,” Andrew said, “Andromeda won’t like it if I do.” Neil didn’t want to find out what Andrew’s plan was.

“Don’t take it too far,” said Neil.

“I’ll take is as far as it needs to go,” Andrew said before getting up and walking over to Roland to get a refill. Annie scrammed with her soda when she saw Andrew approaching and hurried over to sit next to Kevin and Aaron who were already halfway down the road to being drunk. Kevin may hate her, but Neil could tell Annie knew he was a better bet than Andrew. Kevin noticed her drop into the seat next to Aaron but he was too busy immersing himself in alcohol to pay her much attention. Andrew returned with another tray of drinks, making the table top uncomfortably crowded with glasses.

“Andromeda,” Andrew said, fixing her with a harsh gaze, “take the other tray of glasses back to Roland.” Annie challenged Andrew’s glare with one of her own, albeit quite toned down.

“Can’t you say please?” she asked before pilling empty glasses onto the tray. Even though Neil knew Annie had no idea what that word meant to Andrew, anger boiled in the pit of Neil’s stomach. He clenched his fists beneath the table.

“No,” Andrew said, “now take the damn glasses back to the bar.” Annie did as she was told, taking her newly acquired soda with her. Neil flexed his fingers under the table, willing himself to let it go. Annie could have no way of knowing Andrew’s past. Unless she did. Andrew was right, secrets could be dangerous.

“Do whatever you want,” Neil said suddenly to Andrew. Andrew surveyed Neil’s face with a lazy glance.

“I told you once I don’t need your protection,” Andrew said.

“I’m not the one protecting you,” said Neil.

“Do you normally fist your hands under the table?” Andrew countered. Neil did not reply. 

Annie returned with her soda not long later and returned to her seat next to Aaron. 

“Kevin,” said Andrew. It wasn’t loud, but Kevin heard. He looked up. “Let’s go.” Both men got up, Kevin slightly apprehensive. Neil watched the smile from the high fade from Kevin’s face as he argued with Andrew and change to a look of horror before he shook his head. Andrew casually ran his right hand up the armband on his left forearm. Both men knew what Andrew was hiding under it and Kevin agreed with a short, angry nod. Neil looked over to Annie and saw she was observing the two men over the top of her soda as she sipped it from a straw. 

Kevin returned to the table and Andrew headed over to the bar for another dose of alcohol. Aaron offered Kevin a shot which he frustratedly declined and Aaron shrugged and downed it instead. After a significant glance from Andrew who was having another drink prepared for him by Roland, Kevin got to his feet and held out his hand to Annie.

“Dance?” he asked. Annie looked up in confusion and surprise.

“You hate me,” she said. Kevin did not argue with the statement.

“Do you want to dance or not?” Kevin asked shortly.

“No,” said Annie, taking another sip from her straw.

“Come  _ on _ ,” Kevin said, pulling her to her feet by her arm. “Neil - some help here?” he said, pleading with his eyes for Neil to give some assistance.

“Good luck,” said Neil, “take Aaron with you if you’re so scared of Annie.”

“I’m in a relationship,” said Aaron, as if this was a good enough excuse to get him out of everything.

“Let’s go,” said Kevin, who was still wrangling a now frustrated Annie who was trying to remove herself from Kevin’s grip. Aaron reluctantly go up and joined them as they made it to the dance floor. Annie abandoned the two boys and found a group of girls to dance with. Neil looked over to Andrew and saw that he was idly stirring his drink, Kevin, his brother, and Annie in the crowd. After a few songs, Neil saw Kevin slip something into his mouth and flip Annie around before going in for a kiss that Annie was too shocked to dodge. 

Neil recognized the move. It was the same one Andrew had given Nicky do to him on Neil’s first trip to Columbia. While Neil did not fully endorse this method of getting the secrets out of Annie, he thought it was better than taking a chance on her. She had asked Andrew to say the word ‘please.’

Annie pushed Kevin off of her and spit the drug in his face.

“What the fuck?!” she yelled for the whole club to hear, and then slapped Kevin full in the face for his troubles. Neil watched her elbowed her way through the dancers to the table where Neil was still sitting. She grabbed her jacket.

“I can’t believe you,” she said, an ounce of betrayal in her voice before rushing to the door. Andrew beat her to it by a few seconds. He stood in front of the door, his five-foot frame menacing. Neil got up and but did not move and looked around for the others instead. Kevin was nowhere in sight and had probably removed himself from the situation and as far as Neil knew, Aaron was still dancing.

“Get away from me,” Annie hissed at Andrew, fear and daring evident in equal amounts in her voice. Andrew merely crossed his arms, fingers inching towards the knives concealed in his armbands. Andrew had to know it was risky to pull one in a nightclub, but then again he had very few boundaries in terms of violence. Annie flipped her head around, saw Neil standing, perceived him as a threat, and made a decision. It just was not one Neil at all approved of. Annie’s kick hit Andrew directly in the nuts, making him double over. She pushed past him before he could grab her and bolted out the door. Neil moved towards Andrew who had recovered. Kevin arrived at Neil’s shoulder but directed his words to the shorter of the two men in front of him.

“Don’t make me do that again,” he said, “apart from it not working, everyone in this club thinks I was going to rape her.” Andrew, fortunately, did not respond to Kevin’s accusation with his usual violence.

“Find Aaron,” he said instead, “we’re leaving.”

\- 

When the sun rose early Saturday morning and several of the Foxes arrived early for practice, Annie was still missing. Neil was starting to regret allowing Andrew make Kevin attempt to drug her in the first place but this girl held on as tight to her secrets as much as it was obvious she had them. Neil knew Andrew would not stop until he got some sort of truth out of her and all Neil could do was make sure he did it more passively.

By midday, the rest of the team were concerned and suspicious. Wymack called Kevin, Neil, and the cousins to his office.

“No one has seen Annie since someone saw her snuck into a car with some of you lot,” he said, fixing them with an angry glare, “I want to know what happened to her and your explanation better not start with Columbia. I’ve had enough team members come back from that place worse for the wear and I don’t need another.”

The chewing out took half an hour but Nicky was lucky enough to escape early when it became clear to Wymack he didn’t know a thing. Aaron, too, was dismissed not long after. Wymack finally dismissed Neil, Andrew, and Kevin from his office, demanding they track down Annie and pay for any therapy she might need afterwards.

“You took it too far,” Neil said as soon as they were ejected from Wymack’s office, heading towards Fox Tower.

“You didn’t think so last night,” Andrew replied. Kevin shook his head.

“You approved this?” he said.  Kevin left before he could.

“Not the oncoming knife fight,” Neil said.

“You’re still responsible for this,” Kevin said, leaving before Neil could counter his response.

“We have to find Annie,” said Neil, turning to Andrew.

“You find her,” Andrew said and he, too, walked off.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Annie returned to campus late Sunday night after everyone was in bed. Everyone except for Andrew and Neil.

The heat from the daytime lingered and the moon hung lazily in the sky as its light shone patterns through the trees on two boys lying side by side late on a southern July night. Andrew’s hands drifted up underneath Neil’s shirt, making Neil shiver. Andrew’s mouth chased Neil’s as he rolled on top of him, pushing Neil into the shingle-covered cement. Neil’s fingers settled in their familiar place in the hair at the base of Andrew’s neck. Andrew’s hands found the hem of Neil’s shirt and pushed it up his body. When Neil didn’t aid in the removal of his shirt, Andrew gave him a sharp prod in the chest and Neil lifted his body slightly above the tiles as his shirt was pulled off and over his head before landing next to two sets of discarded armbands. Andrew disconnected himself from Neil, hesitated for the briefest of seconds, and then rid himself of his own shirt. Andrew lay back over Neil, grabbing the other’s hands and placing them on Andrew’s upper stomach, all while kissing Neil senseless. Neil’s hands roamed Andrew’s shirtless body before resting on his cheeks and cupping his face.

Neil was too lost in the moment to notice Andrew’s limbs rearranging themselves until one of them was situated between Neil’s legs. Neil responded by kissing back even more fervently, his hands moving from Andrew’s face to twine in his hair. The noise of a car door slamming made Andrew pull back.

“It’s nothing,” Neil said, and he kissed Andrew’s neck to distract him. Predictably, it worked and the kissing resumed. Then there was the not-so distant scuff of backpack being picked up and the clack of heels. Andrew untangled himself from Neil and they both looked over the edge of the roof. Annie, backpack slung over her shoulder, was walking from the curb to Foxhole Tower. A few garments were the same she had been wearing Friday night at Columbia but a few were ones that Neil had not seen before. Clearly she’d either packed clothes, thinking that something of that sort might happen, or bought new ones. Neil favored the second option as the first would only complicate the mystery that was Annie.

“I should talk to her,” Neil said.

“No, you shouldn’t,” Andrew replied.

“You’re the one who wants to figure out her secrets,” said Neil, “now’s the perfect time. No one else is awake.”

“You’re busy,” said Andrew.

“Andrew-”

“Shut up,” he said, quieting Neil with his lips. They returned to their original place on the roof and Neil let Andrew kiss him into oblivion.

-

Annie acted like she’d never been gone when she walked out of the girls’ dorm the next morning when the rest of the girls were just waking up. Her makeup was done so well it might actually rival Allison’s and she was wearing a short mint dress with light tan combat heels. Fading henna adorned her forearms in intricate patterns. Neil and Andrew had just exited their room, favoring a short trip to the cafeteria before the inevitable emergence of the rest of the team. Annie sent a glare their way before walking down the stairs and sitting down on the edge of the sidewalk. Both of the boys followed her, stopping a foot away.

“You’re dressed up,” Andrew remarked, “you didn’t bother Friday.” Annie looked up.

“I knew better,” she said.

“And now?”

“Why don’t we just assume that I’m stupid,” said Annie with a fake smile.

“I’m smart enough not to believe that,” replied Andrew. Annie regarded Andrew with a pretend look of sorrow.

“Pity,” she said, “I was really hoping to be able to fit into that stupid girl who’s the practical joke stereotype.”

“We both know you didn’t get kicked out of school for bad grades,” countered Andrew.

“Do we?” said Annie, raising her eyebrows. A sleek, black Prius slid into the parking lot and Annie got to her feet. “Gotta go,” she said, getting into the car. Andrew watched it drive off, his face unreadable.

“She’s a conundrum,” he said.

“One you can solve?” Neil asked.

“I broke you,” Andrew said, looking at Neil, “I can break her.” He walked off in the direction of the cafeteria and after a second, Neil followed him.

-

Annie returned an hour later when the rest of the Foxes were wide awake. 

“Where were you?” Dan asked, lounging in Matt’s arms on the couch propped in front of the TV. Andrew and his lot, slightly breaking tradition, were scattered in various places around the room. Everyone was present except for Kevin.

“Just now or the past few days?” Annie replied. Dan sat up.

“Both,” she said, “but please start with the past few days.”

“Not sure where I really went,” said Annie, “I hopped on a Greyhound and let it take me wherever. I few people called me - thanks for that, by the way - and then I came back. A few boxes of my shit arrived this morning and I went to pick them up.” Andrew sat up with interest. “They’re nowhere you can find them,” she said, noticing Andrew. 

“Who cared enough to call?” asked Andrew nonchalantly. 

“My parents,” said Annie shortly. Andrew gestured for her to continue. “My uncle, my aunt, and… that’s it.” Unfortunately for Annie, Andrew did not seem to believe her.

“Andromeda, I thought you knew I don’t like lies,” he said, staring her down. Annie swallowed.

“And my ex,” said Annie, “Wymack called my parents and one thing led to another and my ex got dragged in to it.”

“Andromeda found someone to love her?” said Andrew.

“Yeah, well, we broke up when I left high school,” she said, “so don’t act so disappointed.”

“Consider me overjoyed,” said Andrew, “and curious.”

“You’re gonna have to stay curious,” Annie said, “‘cause that’s all the info you’re gonna get.”

“Secrets, secrets, Andromeda,” he said, “I will have fun breaking you.” Dan got up from the couch.

“Andrew,” she said nervously.

“Hush, Dan,” he said, “I’m not going to hurt little-miss-protege. Kevin would kill me.” Annie’s eyes flashed before betraying a hint of fear. 

“I’m going for a run,” she said shortly, grabbing an assortment of clothes from one of her suitcases sitting in the corner of the room. A moment later she was gone.

“Andrew, what did you do to her?” Dan asked, more exasperated than anything else.

“Oh, you know, Columbia,” said Andrew, unconcerned. Dan sighed.

“You’d better head down to the court,” she said, “Kevin’s probably still there after his meeting with Coach and it’s your turn to be chewed out.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Andrew said, fake smile in place, leaving the room. Dan shook her head.

“Make sure he doesn’t damage Annie too much, okay?” she said before Neil left the room too.

-

The drive to the court, as always, was short. Andrew’s meeting with Wymack, however, was not. Neil only heard a few of the words the Foxes’ coach was hurling at Andrew the few minutes he sat outside the office door and he was uncomfortably aware how much he was glad not to be in that room. He gave up the overly optimistic idea that Andrew would be out soon and went to join Kevin on the court. He’d completed his last set of laps when he saw a small figure in grey and black jog up to the gate. Her hair was in a tight ponytail and her makeup was still perfectly intact. Annie punched in the code and strode through the remaining barriers to the court. She stopped so suddenly when she saw Kevin that she almost fell forward over her feet. 

Kevin, who normally would not have noticed her as nothing got between him and Exy during practices, had been retrieving the balls from his latest accuracy exercise and noticed the 5’3 girl immediately.

“Andromeda,” he said uncomfortably, “put on some gear and we’ll work on your precision.”

“Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?” Annie said and Neil had to admire her defiance when her stance showed all she wanted to do was run. “You expect to be able to return to normal practices after Friday? Well, sorry to burst your bubble but you aren’t getting anywhere near me, you would-be rapist.” Kevin stood there flabbergasted. After a few long seconds, he found his words.

“I was never going to hurt you!” said Kevin.

“Really?” said Annie, “you tried to fucking drug me. I’ve had enough guys try and slip rape drugs into my drinks but kissing me and then passing it to me via tongue? That’s a first. Too bad for you it backfired.”

“Again, I was never going to touch you,” Kevin said, “I’d never do that.”

“I’m the last person that’s going to convince,” said Annie, “come within a foot of me outside practice and you won’t be publically presentable for a week.”

“He wasn’t trying to rape you,” said a voice from the doorway. Andrew walked onto the court. “If he was, he wouldn’t still be here.”

“I don’t doubt you on that,” Annie said, “with your history in the news I couldn’t. What I can’t figure out is why you’d try and stop me from leaving.” Neil looked over at Andrew at the mention of Drake’s past abuse. Andrew didn’t acknowledge it other than replying,

“You’ve done your research.”

“Two days in a hotel room with a computer and questions will do that to you,” Annie said.

“Find anything else interesting?”   
“Lots,” said Annie, “but that still doesn’t fix this.” Andrew raised an eyebrow.

“Easy,” he said, “tell me what you’re hiding and I’ll leave you alone. And Kevin was never going to rape you. The drug was to get you high enough to reveal whatever it is you won’t tell me.”

“Nice attempt,” she said, “try harder next time.”

“Don’t worry,” Andrew said, “I will.” Andrew sent a look Neil’s way and Neil heard Kevin tentatively telling Annie to get changed into Exy gear as Neil followed Andrew off the court.

“What’s your plan?” he asked.

“I think I’m going to go with the traditional ask questions and hope for honesty,” said Andrew.

“Since when do you ‘ask questions and hope for honesty?’” said Neil.

“Since Andromeda,” Andrew replied, “don’t fret, Neil. If that fails, I’m sure she won’t mind getting acquainted with my knives.” Neil privately disagreed but said nothing. 

They walked back to Fox Tower in relative silence. Seeing as Kevin was practicing with Annie and Nicky was busy movie-watching with the older upperclassmen, the two boys had their room all to themselves. Neil was about to inform Andrew of this when the later pinned Neil against the shut door, pressing his lips to Neil’s. Neil’s hands wandered up Andrew’s clothed chest to his neck as Andrew’s tongue slid against his own. Hands crept under Neil’s shirt, over the uneven edges of his scars and Neil practically dissolved into the wall. Before he knew it, Neil was devoid of his shirt and Andrew was pulling him back towards their bed. He pushed Neil down onto the mattress and clambered over him before kissing him to the point that Neil almost couldn’t think anymore. Neil’s hands were sneaking their way under Andrew’s shirt when the door swung open.

“OH MY GOD!” said Nicky, “is it impossible to walk into my room without finding you both in the middle of a two-man orgy?”

“Nicky,” said Andrew, now untangled from Neil’s lips but still looking intently at Neil, “out.” Nicky obeyed immediately, abandoning whatever it was that had brought him to the room in the first place. 

“There’s Febreeze in the bathroom,” Nicky said on his way out, “use it!” Andrew got up and locked the door before returning to his position over Neil. 

“We keep getting interrupted,” said Neil, “Nicky, Annie, that one time Wymack walked in on us in the locker room. Maybe we should tone it down a little.”

“Shut up,” said Andrew and Neil laughed into his lips. His hands found their previous place under Andrew’s shirt and he grasped the hem of the shirt, waiting for a sign of approval. Andrew sat up and his hands roughly pushed aside Neil’s and he divested himself of his shirt. Neil tugged gently on one of the armbands and Andrew stripped those off too. He leaned back over Neil, kissing him briefly, fiercely on the lips before planting kisses on Neil’s neck. When he paused, Neil took the opportunity to return the favor and Andrew swayed in his position over Neil, closing his eyes fleetingly, before pushing Neil aside and kissing Neil into the covers. Neil’s arms returned to their familiar position linked behind Andrew’s neck but they were broken apart when Andrew’s mouth moved to Neil’s chest and progressed even lower. Neil heard his zipper being unzipped but he still gasped in surprise when he felt Andrew’s mouth on him. Andrew took one of his hands and pressed it to Neil’s side, telling him to stay still. Neil instead moved his hands, which had been lying helplessly by his side, to Andrew’s hair, twining them in it, careful not to tug too hard. 

When Neil’s short breaths began to slow and Andrew crawled up to once again hover over Neil, Andrew dipped down and their lips met. Neil cringed slightly at the flavor and after a few moments of their lips between one another, Neil pulled away.

“Do you want me to…?” Neil let the sentence hang. Andrew hesitated for a second and then shook his head. Neil settled for catching his lips in a deep kiss, intertwining his tongue with Andrew’s. Andrew pulled away momentarily, rolling onto his side so that both their heads lay on the pillow, facing each other. Andrew reconnected their lips but relinquished control to Neil, who was happy to comply, placing his hand at the edge of Andrew’s jaw. Neil was not surprised when Andrew’s breath caught against his lips and pulled him deeper into the kiss, breaking only to kiss up the toned lines of Andrew’s neck as Andrew’s breathing became more intense. When his breathing calmed too, he wiped his hand on Neil’s pants.

“You’re going to have to find a clean pair of pants,” said Andrew unapologetically, before rolling over Neil and getting up from the bed. 

“Go change,” he said, tossing a pair of jeans Neil’s way and grabbing a pair for himself before retreating to the bathroom. Neil lay still for a moment before getting to his feet and tossing his current pair of pants in the hamper and pulling on the ones Andrew got out for him. When Andrew emerged from the bathroom, he tugged on his shirt and armbands and tossed the air freshener at Neil with the words, “take care of it,” before he left the room. Neil gave a few experimental sprays around the room before tossing it onto Nicky’s bed and catching up to Andrew. 

Annie and Kevin were walking up the stairs, Annie looking ready to collapse, which was strange seeing as Kevin could have only drilled her so hard in the time they’d been on the court. Unfortunately for her, Andrew snagged her with the simple mention of her long name. 

“Andromeda,” he said, “basement. Now.” Annie sighed but let Kevin pass by her before leading the way down to the basement. She’d changed from her dark workout clothes into a light plaid shirt and short jeans. Neil thought it was odd to wear a shirt with long sleeves in the rising South Carolina temperature which currently sat around ninety.

Andrew led them into the first study room in the basement they found and shut the door firmly behind them. 

“Andromeda,” began Andrew, “why did Coach recruit you.” Annie sighed.

“You’re right, I didn’t get kicked out for my grades,” she said, “life was rough and I made some stupid decisions and got caught one time too many. I got hell for it but I continued to play with USC’s Exy team unofficially until Wymack heard about me and picked me up.”

“You were going to a nationally-ranked college,” said Andrew, “what was so rough about that?”

“My ex and I broke up when I graduated high school,” she continues, “it was the first real relationship I’d ever had and it was over. It didn’t help that a lot of the boys at that school were assholes and they tried to touch me like asshole boys like to do. It never got past non consensual touching, but it made me paranoid to the point that I was put on anxiety medicine that further fucked with me, leading to my eventual expulsion. Can I be done now or do you want the intricate details?” 

Andrew didn’t answer but strode up to her, stopping within arms reach. Annie stood her ground. Andrew grabbed one of her wrists and unbuttoned the plaid sleeve before pushing it up her arm. Horizontal and vertical lines covered her forearm, partially obscured by henna, which had faded significantly since this morning. Annie shook her wrist free, pulling the sleeve back over the scars.

“It’s too hot to wear long sleeves in July,” said Andrew as Annie rebuttoned the sleeve.

“I’ve learned my lesson,” she said, shaking the sleeve into place. 

“Some of those are recent,” Andrew remarked, seemingly unconcerned.

“Life’s not easy,” Annie said smoothly, “who’s said I’ve learned how to deal with its dips and turns. Can I go now?”

“You’ve better not lied to me, Troi,” he said as she made her way to the door.

“I didn’t lie,” said Annie, “just some things aren’t in the right order.” With that, she left the room.

“What do you think of her?” Neil asked.

“I still don’t trust her,” Andrew said as Annie’s feet could be heard making their way up the stairs, “but she’s not as dangerous as I thought she could be.”

“Why?” 

“She’s too trapped up in her own issues to be caught up in anything serious,” said Andrew, “at least with what she told us.”

“Does this mean World War Annie is over?” asked Neil.

“For now,” said Andrew, “but I’m still going to call her Andromeda.”


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

With Kevin and Neil’s help, Annie was slowly starting to improve and Neil could see why Wymack had recruited her. She was fast for her size and drove herself into the ground during practices when she deemed it necessary. It was clear their opponents would continually underestimate her, if not for long, allowing her to score a couple early points. The only problem Neil could see them having with her was that she burned out way too early in the game, leaving her practically dead by the half-mark while still insisting she could play. One of her first full practices with all of the returning Foxes, she managed to push herself so far that she passed out in the middle of scoring. Wymack had insisted she take the next day off, refusing to listen to Annie’s constant refrain that she’d gotten dehydrated. This explanation did not fit the circumstances as he’d seen Annie drink plenty of water during breaks and Kevin had added that to his tirade of insults, telling her to tone down her intake a little or she’d be running back and forth to the bathroom. Annie had finally reached her limit and had said,

“So you gonna fuck me or what, princess?” in an effort to get him to shut up and reference the event at Eden’s Twilight, something that was still a sore spot for Kevin. It had worked and he hadn’t ranted at her since.

Dan had also approached Neil within the first week of Annie’s stay to express her concern about the soon-to-be sophomore.

“There’s something off about her,” she had said, “I don’t know what it is, but it seems like she doesn’t trust us. She won’t take off anything more than her socks around us and she waits until we’re all asleep before turning off the lights. I saw Andrew talk to her. Is she okay?”

“Andrew doesn’t think she’s dangerous,” he had replied.

“That’s not what I asked,” Dan had said, but Neil hadn’t had an answer for her and settled for watching Annie in the coming days. Neil noticed she didn’t eat much, at least around the Foxes, and quietly observed the handful of times she passed out after practices and the many more times she almost did on and off the court. Neil mentioned these things to Andrew who silently contemplated them but didn’t respond when Neil pressed him for a conclusion.

All went to shit after Annie got a phone call barely a week after she’d arrived. Neil had been watching a movie with the senior upperclassmen, Annie sitting uncomfortably in the corner on a beanbag, having recently received a makeover from a very eager Allison. It had been an action film, wisely picked out by Dan who’d overruled all of Allison’s early-2000s choices. The Wonder Woman theme had blared from Annie’s phone and she’d left the room to answer it so as not to disturb the movie.

An hour later they had almost reached the end of the movie and Annie still hadn’t returned. Neil got up from his perch on the couch and dialed Andrew as he left the room.

“Pick me up and take me to the court,” Neil said without preamble.

“Why,” Andrew said in a bored tone.

“Annie,” said Neil. The line went dead but Neil knew Andrew was coming.

Sure enough, the black Maserati rolled into the parking lot not five minutes later and a sulky Kevin relocated to the back. The drive to the court was short as usual and Andrew didn’t ask why they were leaving on a whim to check the court for Annie. Neil wasn’t entirely sure why they were either.

Andrew got out of the car and strode to gate. The only indication he gave that this was more than a leisurely trip to Foxhole Court was the way with which he stabbed the combination into the keypad. Neil wasn’t sure if Wymack would walk by him swearing about having to get a new one within the next week, but he, Kevin, and Andrew turned and followed the path to the locker rooms. Instead of going left into the boys’ locker room, the three went right into the girls. Neil was not prepared for what he saw a few feet into the showers.

Blood seeped out from under the shower nearest to them, mixing with water. The white door was shut but a pale arm lay limp, nearly poking out from under it.

Andrew pushed past Neil and Kevin, who had both frozen at the sight, and finagled the lock on the door until it opened. A body with brown hair and brown eyes slumped into the pool of blood escaping from the shower. Identical vertical cuts ran the length of both arms and seemed to be the source of the blood. The makeup that Allison had so carefully applied was a mess and was smeared in all directions. The body was only adorned with a bra and underwear and were soaked from the stream of continuous water from the shower head. The ribs stood out staunchly under the bra and the stomach caved in, making the upper body almost skeletal.

Andrew lifted Annie up from the floor, the water soaking his clothes, and carried her out of the shower.

“Someone find her clothes and turn off that goddamn shower,” he said, walking towards the door, “we’re going to the hospital.”

Neil hesitantly stepped into the shower and turned off the water before locating Annie’s top and bottom lying on a bench not far away along with her towel.

“Kevin,” he said. The taller striker wasn’t moving, still staring at the pool of blood in front of him. “Kevin,” he said again. Kevin looked at Neil. “We’re leaving,” said Neil. Kevin nodded mutely and followed Neil when he left the girls’ showers.

Andrew had laid Annie out in the backseat. He grabbed the shirt from Neil and tore it swiftly before wrapping a piece around each of Annie’s torn up arms.

“Make sure these stay tight,” he said to Kevin before getting into the driver’s seat, “she’s alive and I don’t want her dying before we get there.”

Kevin obediently got into the backseat next to Annie and Neil went up front with Andrew. Neil looked back at Kevin. His face was devoid of color and he looked shocked and maybe even a little guilty. He gently lifted Annie’s head and put the towel underneath it.

Neil didn’t know what to say, nevertheless think. All he could think about was what that phone call could have been about and the reason why she had refused to change in front of anyone and why she had been fainting all the time.

Andrew cut the drive to the hospital in half. He pulled up to the loading area, ignoring the protests of the security guards that this was for ambulances only. They quickly quieted when the doctors swarmed around the car and Annie was lifted onto a gurney and wheeled away. An intern briefly gathered information from them, jotting it down on a notepad, before running back into the hospital. The three men got back into the car and parked it near the entrance and walked in and sat down in the waiting room. Neil got out his phone to call Wymack as he highly doubted either of the other two would. Andrew was staring across the room at nothing and Kevin was sitting, wide-eyed and inattentive, in his stiff-backed plastic chair.

Wymack showed up half an hour later to sit with them and Neil retold the details of what had happened to the coach. The doctors still didn’t know anything definite and Wymack said they could go back to campus and he would wait instead. Andrew, to Neil’s surprise, informed them that they would wait. It looked highly unlikely that any of them would be able to pry Kevin out of his chair anyways. Instead, they settled down to await a verdict from the doctors who held Annie’s life in their hands.

-

Around 10pm, a doctor came to inform them that Annie, indeed, was going to be alright. They would be placing her on suicide watch for 24-hours effective immediately once she woke up and part of her release would be tied to her being required to go to a facility soon after. Her parents arrived half an hour later and after awkward introductions, the three Foxes and Wymack left. Kevin still wasn’t speaking when they got back to the dorms and he refused to talk to anyone. Neil answered a few questions but ultimately he and Andrew went to bed early and left the majority of the doling out of information to the rest of the concerned Foxes.

As Neil found out in the morning, Annie had woken up shortly after they left. She had refused to see her parents except for very briefly when they supplied her with an important piece of news: the person who’d called her on the phone had been partially misinformed. After hearing that, she’d promptly kicked her parents out of her hospital room and had threatened several nurses with painful deaths if they ever let them on the same floor.

Wymack had assembled the Foxes in his office mid-morning to give them the rundown of what had happened. Annie had received a phone call from her mom the day before telling her that two of her friends had been in a car crash and were both dead. One of them happened to be Annie’s ex-girlfriend. As it turned out, Annie’s ex wasn’t and had never been dead. Annie’s mom had been misinformed by a doctor that both girls were dead while only one of them, Annie’s friend, was. The ex was actually quite alive and getting better with a promise of no lasting injuries. This information had sent Annie to Foxhole Court to take a knife to her arms.

-

Annie was released from the hospital the next day, arms bandaged and antibiotics prescribed. She flat-out refused to answer the Foxes’ concerned questions with anything other than an “I’m fine,” something made difficult by the fact that she was required to be accompanied by someone all hours of the day. The Foxes watched her in shifts and when it was Neil’s turn, Annie followed him back to his room.

Andrew was lazily smoking a cigarette by the open window and Kevin and Nicky were playing some sort of video game. Kevin took one look at Annie and his face immediately went pale.

“Andrew,” Annie said. He glanced at her.

“Out,” said Andrew to Kevin and Nicky. They didn’t need telling twice and scrambled out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

“They’re going to send me away,” said Annie in a quiet voice.

“What did you think they’d do,” said Andrew, snuffing out his cigarette in an ashtray.

“I didn’t think I’d be here,” she replied.

“You’re gay,” he said.

“Bi,” said Annie, “why is that the question you’re asking right now? Aren’t there more important ones?”

“You thought it important enough not to tell me,” Andrew said.

“I’ve had enough of people using it against me,” she said, “and it’s not something I usually admit to until I get close with people.”

“You came from a liberal part of town,” said Andrew, “who would use it against you?”

The little color on Annie’s face faded.

“The douchebags of USC were alright ‘till you got them drunk,” she said, “then they wanted to see if they could fuck the gay out of me. They were never able to try but they got close too many times.”

“Why are you scared?” asked Andrew.

“I don’t want to go somewhere I can’t get out of,” Annie said, the fear apparent in her eyes, “I’ll be trapped, in another place with people I don’t know and cut off from everyone. It’s a minimum of three weeks. I can’t survive there.” Her eyes filled with tears and her breaths quickened. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, how I’m going to be alive at the end of it when I can’t talk to or text my friends.” Her panic took over and she began hyperventilating, tears spilling over.

“Stop,” said Andrew, looking up at Annie. She tried, but her breathing didn’t slow. Andrew strode across the room and grabbed both of her shoulders in a piercing grip. “Look at me,” he said. She listened, and for once her breathing obeyed her direction.

“You will survive inpatient,” Andrew said, “and you will survive this year. I will make sure of that. Do you understand?” Annie nodded. “When do you leave?”

“This evening,” she said, “for at least three weeks.”

“Make it two and a half,” Andrew said, before dismissing her, “go pack.”

-

Wymack collected Annie from her and the girls’ room at 5 o’clock sharp. Her eyes were as big as saucers when he informed her it was time to go and Neil thought it was a wonder she didn’t bolt. Instead, she picked up her duffel and followed Wymack and Neil out the door to the silence of the others.

Andrew was waiting in the parking lot, half-burnt cigarette in one hand and keys in the other.

“I’m taking her,” he said to Wymack.

“Andrew, legally I have to be the one to drop her off,” said Wymack, “her parents signed documents at the hospital that put me in charge of her well-being until she’s checked into the facility. That includes me having to sign her in when I get there.”

“You can follow us,” said Andrew.

“Andrew -”

“Or we don’t go at all.”

Wymack sighed but allowed Annie to get in the car with Andrew and Neil before getting into his own. Neil sacrificed his passenger seat for Annie and sat in the back, watching. Annie spent the entire journey staring out the window, chin propped on her hand, eyes blank and staring.

The inpatient facility was a two hours drive away from Palmetto and looked ominously white and pristine from the outside. It was a different one from the facility Andrew had gone to less than a year ago, but even so, Neil got chills from it.

Wymack signed Annie in and the nurses took her duffled and patted her down before escorting her past two double doors. She turned her head as she was led away, looking back at them. She looked terrified. A moment later, the nurses guided her down a hall to the right and she was gone.

-

Andrew was smoking a cigarette when Neil found him on the rooftop. The sun was in the process of setting, spilling orange light over the landscape as it inevitably darkened. Neil sat down next to Andrew, legs dangling over the edge.

“You knew,” he said, not a question or an accusation.

“Yes,” Andrew confirmed.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Neil asked.

“It wasn’t the right time.”

“For doing something? She was cutting and starving herself,” said Neil, “someone who does that isn’t the picture of health.”

“It would have come,” said Andrew, “in a few days. I thought she had plenty in her. I guess I misjudged her.” He handed Neil the cigarette.

“What do we do now?” asked Neil, letting the smoking paper rest between his fingers before taking a brief drag and returning it to Andrew.

“We wait for a phone call,” Andrew said, the cigarette dangling from his fingers, a short stream of smoke rising from it.


End file.
